After nearly a decade since its initial release, Pokémon GO will finally get a massive update that overhauls its visuals and changes its antiquated gameplay systems. In a post on the official Pokémon GO website, developer Niantic writes, “Experience the thrill of Pokémon GO like never before with our latest updates!”
What the extent of these updates will be is anyone’s guess as Niantic is employing a drip-feed style update cadence. On Wednesday, April 17, we’ll learn about some updates to the avatar system, and on April 22, there is a post titled “Rediscover Your World.” From what I gather, this goes beyond simply a graphical change and will possibly give you more granular control over your player character.
The website reads, “Discover a fresh new look with updates to the in-game map, encounter screens, battle screens, and more – all tailored to your location.” That sounds fairly complex, but it would also be better than relying on AR to simply mimic playing on the street. I’m certainly game for a new battle screen, as well, considering the current one is basic beyond belief.
It’s unclear when this big update will go live for Pokémon GO. The Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Samsung Galaxy Store all show updated screenshots, so it might be live within the next few hours. Whenever it does, you’ll be able to download it and get to adventuring. Pokémon GO is free-to-play on mobile and has been available since 2016.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
